


Differences(Why are Our Lives Difficult)

by RainonSaturn



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Genderswap, Just the original team members, The Justice League and Villians are the same, character work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-05 18:11:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6715792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainonSaturn/pseuds/RainonSaturn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The original team were always the opposite genders. How do things change? How do they stay the same?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no clue if I'll ever continue this. However, enjoy my cure(not) to my DC kick.

Honestly, most people thought Robin was male. And in the interest of her cover, she was in no hurry to change that. But that belief brought about it’s own set of complications. Like, when the time came, binding her, admittedly small, chest under her  _ skin tight _ uniform. After two years in it, people would notice if the “Boy Wonder’s” costume became looser, and the acrobatics she pulled off as her alter ego would be harder with looser clothes. So she bound her chest as tightly as she could without cutting off air supply, and patrolled with Bruce. She had cropped her hair short when she first started training, long hair and fighting did  _ not _ go well together, so her androgynous features went a long way to keeping her true gender secret. And anyway, who would believe Ricarda “Dara” Greyson, daughter of Bruce Wayne, was Robin. She had spent ages cultivating a public image of herself as a damsel in distress, even if she was a world class gymnast with genius level intellect. As an adopted child of a billionaire, she had eyes on her constantly, the tabloids never left her alone. 

But sometimes all the comments got to her, how she was just a circus freak, she’d never become anything. Hell, they actually compared  _ her _ to  _ Robin _ a few times. If that didn’t sting a little...

Well, she definitely wasn’t feeling the aster.

* * *

 

Wanda West really hated her hair sometimes. It never conformed to her will, never stayed in anything, made her look even more homeless than she already did. She didn’t need another reason to be teased by everyone in her school. (Honestly, she didn’t mind the Hermione Granger comments, but everything else?) Girls already scorned her too big clothes, guys already shoved her into lockers just for being near them. She didn’t need something else to deal with.

Then she replicated Uncle Barry’s experiment, and nearly killed herself. But it worked. She could move faster than anybody. She was fast enough to get away from everyone. Even her bullies.

But she wasn’t allowed to. She had to endure all the bullies and the teasing, because she  _ wasn’t allowed to use her powers. _ Not even to protect herself. And her hair was still uncontrollable, even more so, now that lightning shocked through it almost constantly.

After a particularly humiliating day, when she limped home with chopped hair(she could never look at chunky peanut butter the same way again), when her family looked at her with so much pity, she had enough. Somehow, she managed to pull her hair securely under a hood(It never behaved when it was long, now that it was too short to pull back into a ponytail, it was even worse)and she went out. Out ran criminals, used her speed to do some good. Uncle Barry found her at midnight, dragged her to his house, and spent a good hour yelling at her. She yelled right back. He agreed to train her.

In high school, when she showed up to the first day of freshman year with an undercut, the mohawk she had carefully brushed until it was silky, and fell just so into her eye, and symbols of the Justice League shaved into her scalp, everyone laughed. Said she was obsessed. She laughed too. They had no idea.

No one noticed that the lightning symbol on the right side of her head was right where the same symbol fell on Kid Flash’s cowl. Kid Flash, Flash’s new, very female, sidekick. She laughed so hard.

* * *

Kaldur'ahm was a serious girl. She knew this. Her best friends, Tula and Garth commented on it often. They said she was too focused, too controlled. She’d smile calmly back, and direct the conversation elsewhere. She felt that someone had to be serious. Someone had to be looking out for her friends, especially if no one else would do so. Not for Garth’s violet eyes. Not for Tula’s powers. Kal elected herself to the job.

Then she and Garth saved the King’s life. Her life changed. Garth continued to study sorcery, but now he was respected. Many people would protect him. And Tula had found her place at the Conservatory as well, and even more people flocked to her bright personality. Kal saw her little siblings as safe. Protected. They didn’t need her at their shoulders anymore. 

She accepted the position as Aqualad. The King-Aquaman, she reminded herself-offered to change the name, but she refused. Aqualad flowed, like water. She liked it, it created a warm feeling in her stomach.

Then she was introduced to the surface, and a new kind of warmth entered her. The sun was so beautiful, and grass felt wonderful under her bare feet. She met people on the surface land, and purpose swelled in her heart. She still had people to protect. 

* * *

When the Weapon woke up, it knew a lot of things. It knew it classified as a female. It knew it was humanoid, but was unsure if it-she was human. She knew that she didn’t have a name. Just the Weapon.

Her hair was long, brushing her hips. She didn’t like it. It was itchy. She wondered if the captors-scientists-would let her cut it. She wondered if they’d let her out. The tube-pod she was in was small, for someone of her height and muscle mass. Her jumpsuit was too tight, sometimes, and it made her claustrophobic. It pulled too tight over her chest.

Then three kids-Heros?-came and set her free. They let her out. One of them helped her cut her hair when it got caught during their escape. The redhead girl brought her to a home, introduced her to two adults, and gave her clothes-a superman tank top and cargo pants- which fit nicely. The tank top didn’t squeeze her chest. The cargo pants were comfortable, and had a lot of pockets. The Weapon decided she liked pockets. Secretly, because she had projected a lot of anger at her rescuers-the not sidekicks- and she didn’t want them to see through the anger and realize that she was scared.

She was told that she was only weeks-a few months-old. She believed it. The world was big and scary. But there were pockets, and not-sidekicks, and she liked it.

They called her Supey. She hadn’t chosen a ‘Hero’ name yet, since Supergirl was taken. They said they’d wait for her. She liked that too.

* * *

M’kale M’orzz couldn’t believe his luck. He had always wanted to see Earth, be on it, see if his shows were right. Sneaking aboard Uncle J’onn’s ship had been the best idea he ever had. No one here knew he was White. No one here would abuse him for something he had no control over. He was glad Uncle J’onn was the understanding type, and didn’t mind him pretending to be a Green Martian. He was also glad Uncle J’onn helped him pick a human name. A ‘secret identity’, he called it. M’kale had seen those on his shows. Having one, even if it was as simple as Michael Morse, made him feel like he was special.

The team was a lot different than his shows. He couldn’t tell if Robin was male or female, and TV always made out those characters as bad. He decided his shows were wrong there, Robin was...nice. Creepy, but nice. Wanda flirted with him like there was no tomorrow, and that made him blush. Wanda definitely acted like characters from his shows, but there was something different. She had absolutely no interest, no real interest, in him. She flirted because it made her feel nice. M’kale thought she had cool hair. Kal was quiet, but there was a nice feeling coming off her. She didn’t talk much, when she did it was something to listen to, but the steadfast aura she radiated made him smile.

Then there was Super...something. They told him the girl hadn’t decided on a name yet. She was dark, brooding, angry. Another archetype. Not usually a female one. M’kale liked the change. He suggested the name Superstar, and blushed the whole time. The dark girl just nodded, and two days later, all the adults called her Superstar. 

Earth was nothing like her shows, and M’kale couldn’t wait to discover all of it.

* * *

Being the daughter of two villains had never made Artemis’s life easy. The name didn’t help at all. When he escaped from under her father’s thumb, he ditched the name for Apollo. Gotham might know Artemis Crock, awkward, poor, friendless. But he was determined for the world to know Apollo.

No one ever figured out his identity. Apollo was a silent archer, running watch over the poorer suburbs outside Gotham. He was muscled, but slim, and the cowl covering his head only let his almond eyes show through. Artemis Crock was half vietnamese, with long blond hair usually tossed back in a sloppy ponytail with the same green band.

On one of his patrols, a Robot flew right past his hiding place, and headed into Gotham. Apollo followed. Watched as a team fought it. He helped them out, loosed one of his arrows. Hid, so they couldn’t see him. Went home, and sat on his bed, staring at the Alice in Wonderland poster. He’d never be part of a team. It was everyone for themselves, Jade was right.

The offer came the next day, with Batman and Green Arrow standing in his living room. He accepted, and joined the team he had envied. And his life got harder.

They didn’t trust him. He couldn’t trust them. The secrets piled higher and higher.

* * *

**Bonus!**

Rae Harper didn’t like Artemis. Didn’t trust him. She liked his sister even less.

“Aw, little arrow, lost and alone.” She glared at the woman lounging on the roof next to her. No matter how many times Rae stabbed Cheshire, or at least tried to, the lanky, dirty assassin kept showing up at her stakeouts. “Give it up, Red, they aren’t coming out.” She ignored her this time, keeping her focus on the building. Sportsmaster and Lex Luthor had entered, together. She needed to follow them out, when they went home. She needed to know where their base was. Suddenly something pulled her braid, and it came undone, red strands spilling over her face and obstructing her view.

“Cheshire, I swear to god-”

“But you look so much cuter now!” The older woman cooed. Rae grit her teeth, and stood. There was no way she’d get to Luther, or his allies, tonight. Cheshire was obviously determined.

“I hate you.” A quick jump off the building and a few grappling arrows later, and Rae was back in her apartment. With take out. And fuzzy socks. She left her hair down, always prefered to in her civilian form. Easier to hide. A movie played softly in front of her, and she was lounging into the couch, but she wasn’t relaxed. She was waiting.

“You forgot you hair tie.” Jade picked up Rae’s wrist to return the band to it’s rightful place. She didn’t protest. Not even when the older woman didn’t let go of her hand. She even let Jade tug her around, arranging the younger until they were comfortably cuddling. 

Rae never really questioned their relationship. To her, it was simple. Jade and Rae slept together. They cuddled and kissed and went on dates. Red Arrow and Cheshire fought, because they were on different sides. There was no carry over. They were two completely different things. They would stay two completely different things.


	2. Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanity wasn't something most Superhero's liked to admit. However, with most of them sporting long, luscious manes, you have to wonder; don't they realize the risk?

Artemis had to admit, he may not trust the team, but they were smart. They knew what helped in a fight, and what didn’t. He was reclining on the couch, shoulder length hair pulled back into a messy bun. He never let it get any longer than what would fit under his cowl. Most Superheros weren’t that intelligent. The team was.

M’kale could adjust his looks with a thought, so Artemis spared none. It didn’t matter what he did, he would always be ready for the mission with short hair.

Artemis instead directed his attention to the girls on the team. Robin’s hair was short, cropped almost militarily. She never gave any thug the chance to grab her head and pull. Wanda had apparently shaved her head months after becoming Kid Flash. Only her smooth coif showed over her cowl, and the girl was too fast for the longer-than-necessary hair to pose any problem. He wouldn’t have to have a repeat of Jade with the two of them; the image of his older sister hanging from his father’s grip by the hair, tears streaming down her face was burned into Artemis’s memory.  _ No. Stop. Don’t think about that. _

Kaldur’ahm and Superstar were complete opposites. Superstar let her hair brush her elbows, even if it was always pulled back for missions. Artemis had stumbled onto the girl running her fingers through it enough to know that she liked the feeling. Honestly, he assumed the girl found comfort from the touch. He was told how the clone came to be, the prospect of never being touched scared him. 

Kaldur’s hair was shaved to her scalp. She said that it was easier to fight underwater when there was no drag. Artemis chose to believe her rather than argue. He had no wish to ever be in a situation where he’d have to fight underwater.

A hand rubbed under his ear, burying long fingers into his mess of hair, and he looked up into Kal’s grey eyes and shaved blonde head.

“Robin is asking for us to meet.” He nodded, stood, and stretched. His book could wait, whenever Robin summoned them, the result was fun. 

“Lead on.” The girl gave a small smile; had Artemis not gotten to know her, he’d never have noticed it. 

* * *

Wanda had learned early on to never let anyone grab the coif coming from the top of her cowl. It was incredibly painful, for one, and it wasn’t the easiest hold to escape. Robin would be able to manage it; Wanda was pretty sure Dara had a lot of practice with someone grabbing her hair and knew how to think through pain. (She got kidnapped  _ a lot _ .) However, no one had ever needed to capture Wanda West, and being fast enough to grab Kid Flash was difficult. But she had been fighting ever since boys discovered their own fists. (No, Wanda, your mind shouldn’t drop straight into the gutter.) Even if she had short hair now, her mohawk was long enough. So she used her speed, got away before anyone had a chance to grab her.

But this was different. For some reason, she was letting Apollo weave experienced fingers through red strands, let the boy tug and grab.

“There. Pull your cowl up, your hair won’t give us away now.” Somehow, the blond archer had managed to french braid Wanda’s hair. Hair that never stayed in a ponytail, never mind a braid.

“Are you sure you don’t have superpowers?” She blurted. (Wanda, get a filter.) Artemis started. Wanda blushed, and ran a hand over the smooth hair. She shoved her cowl over her hair, careful to close the top, and tapped the sigil on her chest. Black spread where yellow reigned.

“Believe it or not, Baywatch, but my...mother has hair crazier than yours. I was the one that styled it.” Wanda flicked her eyes up. Apollo’s own thick strands were contained under a similar cowl, and she had to wonder who braided the archer’s hair.

* * *

Superstar sat alone on the beach. When she first came to be, she had been alone with the G-Nomes. Sometimes the Scientists would be there, but she was always alone, inside the glass.

She tugged a wide hand through her black hair. 

She didn’t want to think of that. She didn’t want to think of CADMUS. She had a team. She had a family. She wasn’t alone.

Her hand yanked through her hair again, and she grunted at the soft sting.

“Hurting yourself won’t make you feel better.” Robin. She had heard the other female’s approach, but did nothing. She wanted to be left alone. “Come on, Supes, don’t be like that.”

“Like what, Robin?”

“You only play with your hair when you want comfort. You only do it hard enough to hurt when you’re thinking about the past.” Superstar sighed. The other girl was far too observant.

“I’m...happy. I’m not alone.” Her lap was suddenly full of thirteen year old and her hair was suddenly full of thin fingers and small hands.

“No. You’re not. I won’t let you be.” The younger(physically) girl scrubbed at her hair, rubbing her scalp, until the tension bled out of Superstar’s muscles. They stayed like that. Soothing gestures calming the energy thrumming through both of them. Slowly, the rest of the team trickled out of the cave, gathering around them. Robin slipped off her, to Wanda, and M’Kale took her place, his back leaning against her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rubbing my hair(I have an undercut on my right side) is something I do for comfort, and I thought since Superstar was so deprived of touch, she'd take reassurance from it.  
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT OH MY GODS I LOVE OPENING MY EMAIL AND SEEING KUDOS YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!


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